Me again ;) Hey Moms!
I make my own baby food for my daughter. Steamed veggies and fruits, blended. I did this with my first as well. My mother keeps saying "I believe in the jar foods" she thinks they have more added vitamins and such. Does anyone know if this is true? Or is this just old school talk? She was also close minded about the breastfeeding too. So, I'm just curious what you all think? Does Mom still know best? And no worries, I won't let her sway my decision ;)
Thanks!!!
I made my own baby food also. Good for you! Fresh is better:) Added "fake" things like citric acid, items for coloring, etc....Fresh= no added junk. I wish I had a jar to look at, but only fresh is served here:) I have a daycare in my home, and I make for them too!
Nutrition-wise I don't think it makes any difference. If you look at the labels, especially the organic ones, you'll see that they only contain the fruit or veggie, nothing else. So it's the same as you making a puree from the same fruit or vegetable. Your daughter will likely get more variety when you make your own though (cantelope? lentils and rice? etc). If you like making the baby food, keep it up. If you don't, the jarred foods are fine. Have fun.
Sorry your mom is wrong. Breastfeeding is best and if you have the time to make food for your baby the it is better. There is only one type of baby food I know of that has extra vitamins added. It is Gerber Smart Nourish and they add DHA I think.
I truly believe feeding your baby the foods you eat made fresh is so much better than a jar. The only reason for using pre made stuff is convenience.
I do both. If it's something I can easily make on my own, or I don't see pre-made, I go to town. But for some things, like prunes, I prefer to just buy. The ingredient labels on the jars should say if it has something added, but all the ones I have looked at only say the food and water.
Poor mom. She THINKS she knows best. But she doesn't.
The vitamins that the companies add to their products in jars
are there to take the place of the vitamins
that were lost when they processed the foods.
When you steam your veggies and fruits,
I presume you start with FRESH items.
You cook them yourself, and include
(some of) the cooking water when you mash them up.
Yes?
You're doing a great job for your DD.
As for breast feeding . . . . I feel very sad for your poor mom.
She was sold a bill of goods.
She missed out on one of the great experiences of a mom's life.
I hope, at least, she can appreciate/enjoy seeing how you and DD
are exquisitely bonded when you feed her.
I bought the baby food for both kids and think it is great! They both lost interest around 9 months and wanted foods they could self feed.
I made my sons baby food for him. IMO its healthier and cheaper. He also still likes to eat veggies which alot of his friends don't like eating. I think he likes his veggies still beacuse it still tastes just like what he eat from when he was 6 months old. Also, IMO breastfeeding is AWESOME!!!! I breastfeed my son until he was almost 2.
I made most all of my own baby foods for my son...then just the easy ones for my daughter and filled in the rest with store bought organic ones.
I felt the ones I made were closer to pure food with out preservatives, fillers, etc...and were much cheaper when you looked at the cost of a jar of mushed up baby bananas vs. buying bananas and mushing them myself. Also, I could feed better choices of food like avocado, blueberries...etc.
Either way your daughter is getting good food...just read the labels and avoid fillers like tapioca and other starches that just bulk up the food but provide little nutrition.
I enjoyed the book Super Baby Food(s)...taught me a lot of great recipes...but be careful the author comes across if you buy any store bought foods you are practically a child abuser...all in moderation is my motto.
Make your own baby food. You know what's in them.
Hi Stephanie
I would never choose a jar of food over homemade food.
If you are making your own stict with it and good for you.
Your children will thank you with good health as they grow.
Bernie
i would stick with your home made food and let baby eat table foods, that way baby will grow solely on your cooking. i tried baby food on my daughter, and have always had problems getting her to eat full meals or as quickly as she may need to.....if i could do it over, her food would've been mashed taters, cut up green beans, and anything else i could soften up for her that i also ate.
Make your own. I also made my own. It is so easy, and I knew exactly what my kids were eating. I used my magic bullet to puree fruits, vegis, pasta and meats.
No mom doesn't know best here. SOME foods yes have added DHA I think. But as long as you are cooking them properly to where you don't lose nutrients, I think you are doing a better service to your child to make fresh foods with no preservatives, no added sugar, etc. You KNOW what's in your baby's food, and I think that's very important.
The jared foods probably have more vitamins than homemade if you are useing fresh fruits/veggies. these foods lose vitamins as they sit in the store shelf or on your counter/fridge. Frozen and canned produce are picked and packaged at the peek of freshness and have less vitamin lose. I assume it's the same with baby food.
the only thing to avoid are the combination dinners and desserts. The dinners don't contain enough meat to meet zinc and iron requirements. Desserts have too much sugar.
If you like make your own and it makes you feel better, than go for it.
Make one and buy one and have your mom blind taste test them ;-)
The homemade stuff is way better! Lots less sodium. I think that she's fallen victim to the marketing ploy of the baby food companies. They always put out a lot of buzz words to make you think they're better for you than they are. Some jarred foods really aren't bad, while others are atrocious.
I mashed up what was on my plate and fed it to my daughter - spices, seasonings and all.
When I buy baby food, I only buy the organic stuff with no extra ingredients. The only reason I prefer them to making homemade (aside from the convenience) is that it is often hard to find that variety of organic fruits and veggies fresh, especially this time of year. Otherwise, we just mash up whatever we're eating and give that to the baby. I assume that they are nutritionally equivalent, though I haven't done much research to verify that.
Jarred baby-food, will never be better then homemade. Period. The companies don't have to label additives, like extreme amounts of citric acid. Have you ever tasted it? It doesn't even taste like real food, it is so watered down and processed. You are doing good. Your mother probably comes from a time where Gerber ruled.
http://www.pregnancy.org/article/artificial-feeding-and-case-homemade-baby-food